The Illusive Agent
by DarkPhoenix83
Summary: SSHG/AU: London is divided into two halves, like Berlin during the Cold War. The death of a teacher loved by Tom Riddle prompts a scramble for his broken memories, memories which hold the key to all existing horcruxes. An agent in deep cover, Hermione has recovered these memories, Severus the only one who can interpret them. Together they must destroy the horcruxes to end the war.
1. Prologue: The Making of Agent Lazarus

**Disclaimer: The story is mine the characters are not. Enjoy!**

 **Note:** I have long long mulled this story over and now I'm ready to put parts out at a time. For those of you who follow my stories, yes it's like I'm writing quite a few stories at once and it's true. For the moment it's the way my mind is working and I'm just not fighting it. As such, please know I will and usually do finish all my stories. I do admit that as of this moment I have 5 or so chapters planned, but not more...and that defo does not finish the story. So I am keeping my mind open and looking for inventive ways to give this story the twists and turns it deserves.

I'm also going out of my way to make Hermione the "sexual aggressor" in this story. For those of us who love SSHG we usually revert to our beloved Potions Master being the lead in sexual situations. This story will be (hopefully) different. I'm pulling some influence from Atomic Blonde and other spy stories I've been watching or reading. So this should be fun. Our poor Severus won't be prepared for what is coming his way ;-)

As always your comments, suggestions and improvements are welcome.

* * *

 **Prologue: The Making of Agent Lazarus**

 _Wizarding London, October 1994_

A darkness was descending on wizarding London, the kind of which had not been seen in many years. Hermione Granger needed to do something and she needed to do it quickly. Gathering the last of her possessions in her trunk she took only the darkest alleyways, making the most convoluted route to her predefined meeting point. Once there she, and her trunk, hid in the bushes waiting for the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to appear.

It was amazing to her how calm she was, how she had been able to cut all the things that had mattered until now out and just focus on her survival. In a matter of hours London would be engulfed in war, in a war that no wizard or Muggle would want to fight. Though it had been her intention to stay and fight with her friends, mostly half and purebloods, the Headmaster had thought it pertinent she go into hiding. It would not be a normal kind of hiding though, nothing in this world was so simple or so clear. Professor Dumbledore had other plans for her, the very thought of which excited her beyond measure.

The sound of a light pop could be heard in the square, the body of Albus Dumbledore appeared from thin air. At this sight Hermione stood, then made her way to him with her trunk in toe. The old man smiled at her serenely as he beckoned she come closer.

"It is exactly as I suspected Miss Granger, we must move quickly." The older man began.

"Yes sir, I have everything I need here." Her heart was pounding out of her chest.

"Good. Now listen to me very carefully my dear. Tomorrow morning the Death Eaters will sweep through London, attempting to purge it of all Muggle-borns and their families. We have already arranged it so that you and your family will be counted amongst the dead."

Hermione simply nodded, her chest tightening up even more.

"You must never use your name again. Is that clear?" His eyes were serious, almost scared.

"Yes sir." Was all she could say.

"We will refer to you from now on as Agent Lazarus in all communication. My brother is waiting for you in Australia where he will train you in all the arts and principles of espionage."

"Thank you for trusting me with this job sir. I won't disappoint you."

"I hope not." Was the Headmaster's response as he quickly continued, "This experience will change you fundamentally. You will…" he paused for a moment trying to find the right words, "...you will be a weapon, not a person."

"Sir. I understand the dangers and the consequences. We Muggle-borns need to stand up and we need to claim our place in the wizarding world." It was surprising to Hermione how little emotion her voice held. She had prepared for this moment as best she could, done all that she could to make the transition easy.

"Good girl." Albus said, looking her over one last time. He made a cylindrical motion with his wand, opening a pathway for her to step through.

Hermione took a deep breath, steeling her nerves as she prepared to go through the pathway.

"And Agent Lazarus." Dumbledore said, making her turn to look at him. "Be careful."

A smile crossed her lips and she nodded. It was time for her to start her new life, a life that would involve high espionage with the hopes of toppling the Dark Lord. There was nobody more ready to do this than she.

* * *

 _Sydney Australia, Safe House, January 2006_

She hadn't even taken the time to peel off her bloodstained clothing or tend to her wounds. Her battered and bruised body screamed out for attention, two fingers almost certainly broken along with some ribs. The information she had in her head was too precious, too valuable to wait. Hermione Granger sat at a desk in the dark room living room of her safe house in east Sydney, lit by only a single candle, and painfully pulled silver memories from her temple, placing them in a small pensive. With each silvery string a new pain, with each new pain the hope that she had gotten the information she had been searching for all these years. Information that would turn the tide of the wizarding world, end this war once and for all.

Satisfied that she had emptied her mind of all the pertinent information, and having added the other vials of memories she had stolen, Hermione stripped off her clothing unceremoniously and walked into the bathroom. Flicking her wrist toward the tub she filled it with warm water and slowly lowered her trembling body inside. It hurt, her body hurt more than it had in a long time - but if felt good to be alive. She exhaled deeply, sliding her body down so that just her nose stuck out of the water. She could barely suppress her excitement as to what she had recovered from Crankshaw and what it could mean for the cause.

Bringing herself to a seated position she grabbed a hand mirror from the side of the bathtub, touching it with the index finger on her right hand. It was never sure when Dumbledore would reply, sometimes it was almost instantaneous other times it took 24 hours. So she used the mirror to assess the damage to her face, not caring what the old man saw of her body. Her fingers she would heal tonight, some of the cuts and contusions would require some salve...the soreness time.

The mirror heated up in her hand and she brought it to her face.

"Agent Lazarus." The old man had not changed a bit in all this time, still bright eyed and grandfatherly.

"Professor." She began. "I've been able to suppress news of Crankshaw's death for a few days."

He nodded, waiting for her to get to the point, not paying any mind to her battered and naked appearance.

"Also, I have them." She tried to stay as calm as possible, not betraying her own personal emotions. Above all she was a professional.

The old man was mulling something over in his mind, "Could you interpret the memories?"

Doing her best to keep her face expressionless she answered, "No."

"You're saying you don't have the list?" His voice was calm and collected, but Hermione knew he must be raging inside.

"The list is there sir, but it's jumbled, it's…." she needed to find the words to express what she had seen, what she knew. "...it's in a sort of code that only somebody close to the Dark Lord could understand."

"That's your opinion?" there was a slight edge to his voice.

"No Professor. I'm sure of it. I'm sure that if somebody could watch these memories with a better background than I, they could construct the list of horcruxes." She didn't want to seem too desperate, too eager, it was hard to keep her cool.

Albus Dumbledore furrowed his brow slightly. Then after an eternity considering the next move he said, "Come home Agent Lazarus. You're needed here."

This time she didn't suppress the smirk that crossed her bruised face. "Yes sir."

They broke their communication link then, and Hermione tilted her head back in relief. She was going home, after years of deep cover she was going home. Hermione almost jumped out of the tub, stopping to view her naked body in the mirror. She'd changed so much since she came here, there was almost nothing of her old self left. She was taller than when she was 15, lean and muscular. Her riotous curls an asset, no longer the bane of her existence. No one back home would recognize her if they saw her, or even heard her. But then again, London had changed too. It was not long after she left that the war between Voldemort and Dumbledore had started. They had fought and fought, both sides gaining and losing ground. It was only after several years of war that the sides began to settle, that a wall had been constructed to divide the city. The West was controlled by the Order of the Phoenix and was 'free' for lack of a better term. The East was controlled by Voldemort and heavily policed. Anybody caught on one side or the other, stayed there. It divided families, lives and the entire wizarding community. The agreement between the sides was a de-magicalized zone between the two halves of the city to make sure war could not easily start again. So what had began as a physical war, pitting wizard against wizard, had become a war of information and espionage. A war of agents and spies.

Hermione's stock had gone up, she had become invaluable to the Order. One of their few hopes of ending this war. She smiled, wanting nothing more than to drive the proverbial stake through Voldemort's heart, and the list of Horcruxes was the first step in the right direction.

"Agent Lazarus coming home." She breathed, a sinister smile crossing her otherwise innocent face.


	2. Chapter 1: Who is the Illusive Agent?

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, cheers!

 **Note:** I wanted to get this second chapter out to set the scene a bit more, then I'm going to cool it. I hope to devote some more time to "For the Love of My Master" now and get a very difficult and personally disturbing chapter out. As always I will keep adding as I can, but my holiday is almost over then back to work and distraction from what I love to do, write.

Enjoy this chapter and I look forward to your comments!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Who is the Illusive Agent?**

 _Death Eater Controlled East London, Victoria Park, January 2006_

 _2 Days Later…_

Severus Snape exhaled into the cold East London morning. He watched his breath swirl and dance up toward the dreary grey heavens, clutching his paper _The Death Eater Daily_ in his right arm. It was Sunday morning and Severus made it a point to do exactly the same thing every Sunday morning, go to Victoria Park and read his paper. Rain, shine, snow or hail he made it a point to go, leave the confines of his apartment to do this one thing. There was something about the dilapidated park that gave him a sense of austere comfort, much like the park's namesake herself. It was also the only way for him to make contact with Albus Dumbledore.

The division of London had created more difficulties for his role as a double agent than even he could have imagined. Severus had chosen to stay on the Death Eater side of the city, knowing that he would be of most use to the Order there. He knew he would have to fight tooth and nail to maintain his importance to the Dark Lord, and subsequently his life. Yes, Severus Snape could be likened to a cat, a black nasty mouse hunting tom cat, having nine lives and then some. Severus had navigated Death Eater politics so deftly that he had carved out a space for himself that none of the idiot zealots that worked in the service of Voldemort could possibly imagine. He was a draw for people to come to the East. There was no other Potions Master in the world that was as good as he was, and he drew the necessary brain power to East London that served to maintain this sham of a new world order. The school he had established had quickly gained a reputation for being exceptional and of course, dark. As much as he believed in the principles of the Order, and the need to rid the world of Voldemort, the school was an outlet for his less desirable impulses. No one could argue with him, he was a disciplinarian and a sadist at heart. What he could never have gotten away with at Hogwarts, her certainly could now, and he did not restrain himself. It was a good cover of course, but he had no problem admitting to himself that terrorizing students gave him a certain sense of pleasure that few things did.

Severus sought out a bench in the park that was not falling apart, or occupied by a bum and sat there. The East was extremely deprived, not just morally and ethically, but also of resources. The Wizarding World had, on the whole, abided by an embargo which kept many common place things out of this part of London. There was a thriving underworld of course, one that he was well acquainted with, but nonetheless you had to have money or influence to get these things. Many did not. So they suffered and were paid no mind. It would all collapse eventually, that's what he had told Albus anyway, but the old man wouldn't listen. His mentor seemed to have something else in mind, but had never fully articulated it to him. The defeat of Voldemort, in Severus' mind, would come from the fact that people would ultimately revolt against him, no longer having fear of death or torture at the hands of his followers. Sure lives would be lost in this uprising, but it would be a natural conclusion to an unnatural situation.

A snort escaped his nostrils at the thought of his mentor. Then he reached his hand into one of his cloak's pockets, crumbled a bit of stale bread and distributed it next to him on the bench. If there was one thing Severus hated more than being left in the dark about the Order's plans, it was feeding the fucking birds. Their hollow eyes, their dirty feathers, their nasty little bird noises - he shivered at the thought of them and opened his paper to begin reading. The only reason he participated in such old man activities as feeding birds, was that it had become the only secure way to communicate with Albus. Birds were stupid, thus it was easy to slip into their little pea brains, easy for them to fly over the wall and thus, a way in which to communicate undetected by the Dark Lord. All other magical options were being monitored and the De-Magicalized Zone (DMZ) was no place for an old man like Albus.

A pigeon flew toward the bench, landing on the opposite end from Severus and eyed the crumbs suspiciously. The Potions Master looked out of the corner of his eye, trying to determine if it was Albus or just some free loading raptor. He hadn't spoken to the old man now in several weeks, so contact was to be expected soon, but he couldn't be sure.

"My bread not good enough for you?" Severus asked in a low voice, keeping the paper in front of his face.

At this the pigeon's eyes slowly morphed from its normal empty black ones to a crystal blue, to Dumbledore's eyes. The bird sauntered over to the bread and began to haphazardly peck at the bits of bread.

"There's no salt in this." The bird complained, in a voice that was very much that of Severus' mentor.

"We are depraved in the East, or haven't you heard?" Severus proffered, turning the page of his paper."What took you so long old man?"

The pigeon fluffed it's feathers in an agitated fashion, "There have been some developments, but we needed to be sure before we got you involved."

Severus merely lifted an eyebrow in measured interest. That phrase could be anything from finding out the color of Voldemort's underpants to something useful, like new allegiances. Attacks on the West of the city were not unheard of and attempts to overthrow Voldemort's influence in the East had been made. The tit for tat type behavior of two sides out of options and not making any headway.

"Turn to page three and tell me what you see there." The bird pecked at the dry bread.

Exhaling in an annoyed manner, Severus turned to page three and scanned the page. The usual propaganda littered the pages. He had to scan it again before his eye fell to a small article in the lower left corner.

He smiled, "Crankshaw is dead. Oh how delightful, young boys across the wizarding world should rejoice." Severus' tone was dry and annoyed. So what if one of Voldemort's old teachers had died?

The pigeon hopped slightly closer to Severus then, "He knew things Severus."

"I know things." Severus added, willing the old man to get to the point.

"But he knew many things. He was the last full confidant of Tom Riddle before he started his transition."

"You make it sound like the Dark Lord had a sex change." Sever smirked at his own witty remark. "Get to the point, it's cold."

Pigeon Dumbledore pecked even more annoyed at the bread, "Tom told him where he was going to put all the Horcruxes, Severus. He's the only one other than the Dark Lord who knew them all."

At this revelation Severus inhaled, feeling like his heart was about to skip a beat. Voldemort had always abused his connection with Potter, showing the boy only the things he wanted him to see. Some things had slipped, sure. Potter knew of the horcruxes and had been able to track down a few and destroy them. Though the mere fact that the Dark Lord was still amongst the living in a manner of speaking, always suggested there were more. This information could be the key in killing Voldemort once and for all.

Severus turned a page of his paper and shook it out a bit, "You surly didn't pay some sorry sap for this information did you?"

"No." The bird replied, "We stole it."

At this Severus turned his head slightly to the bird, taking measure of its eyes. "And 'we' would be?"

"Agent Lazarus. Our agent in deep cover with Crankshaw." The bird was matter of fact.

Severus could only just barely contain his anger at this confession. His fingers crinkled the paper in his hands, threatening to rip it. After a few measured breaths he spoke, "And why was I not informed of this Agent Lazarus?"

"Because her mission was on a strict need to know basis Severus. We couldn't risk something slipping to the Dark Lord during your time with him."

Severus dropped the paper to his lap, ran his fingers in a frustrated motion through his hair, then picked up the paper again. "So how do I fit into this ueber secret plan?" His tone was acid, he could have been spitting fire.

The bird picked at its feathers calmly, "Well. We ran into a bit of a snag."

"Oh really?" Severus said in the most condescending tone he possibly could.

"We need somebody close to the Dark Lord to interpret the information we recovered."

Severus took a moment to reflect on this statement, doing his best to calm his nerves. A list could be the quick way to end this war, to end the division between the cities and start a normal life again. Surly Voldemort knew of his confidant's death, knew that he could have information that would endanger his very existence. The information was almost surely fake.

"How do you know that the information you recovered hadn't already been tampered with? The Dark Lord would almost certainly not leave such a loose end."

Pigeon Dumbledore pecked at the final bits of dry bread, "Crankshaw went into hiding early. Despite all of his shortcomings he was brilliant in many things, not just Potions but deception and illusions. We are almost certain the Dark Lord didn't know where he was until he died."

The question that crossed Severus' face was enough to prompt the bird to continue speaking, "Agent Lazarus recovered this information at great physical expense and can vouch for the fact that the Dark Lord now knows the information could be on the market. So we need to be quick about decoding it."

At this Severus smirked, he loved a good challenge and this certainly presented one for a man of his calibre. "Where do I meet her?"

"There's a poster at the corner of Victoria Street, for a performance tonight at the Kit Kat club in the DMZ. She's headlining that performance."

Severus laughed, "That's a sex club Albus."

"Go early, I hear it's a great show." The bird's eyes twinkling in that same annoying way that wizard Albus' eyes always did.

Severus merely rolled his eyes, folded up his paper and left the bench.

"She'll know you." The bird squawked after him.

The dark tall wizard shook his head as he walked toward Victoria Street. He disliked the DMZ greatly, it was complicated to get into and sometimes even more so to leave. On top of that it was raided frequently, and he knew where those who got caught ended up. It was not a place Severus was keen to go if he could help it. His eyes searched for the poster, almost certainly hidden under other things. There was a sort of illegal language that ran rampant in the East, and sometimes it was harder to interpret it than others.

' _Ah, there.'_ Severus keyed in on a smudge on the wall. He put his hand on it and immediately the poster came into view. There were no pictures just the time, place and some kissy lips saying 'Don't miss it.'

Severus snorted in his normal sarcastic fashion, "This is going to be interesting."

To say he didn't trust anybody would be an understatement, he trusted no one particularly when it came to his own wellbeing. It was asking a lot of him to trust a woman he had never even met to engage in one of the most dangerous handoffs of information that he had ever known. He mulled over the possibilities in his mind, either way he'd have his own plan should the sketchy one explained to him fall through. He trusted no one, especially not this elusive agent.

* * *

 _Order of the Phoenix Controlled West London, Safe House, January 2006_

 _The same day…_

Hermione Granger took a slow drag on her long cigarette as she walked her full glass of wine to the windows of her safe house in London. The windows reached from the floor to the ceiling and gave one the feeling that everybody could see what you were doing, though she knew they could not. The glass had been charmed such that she could look out across the De-Magicalized Zone and over into East London without anybody else seeing her. That was good, considering her black silk panties and long curly hair didn't afford her much cover from prying eyes. She drank deep and continued to look out the window, the city had changed. She felt like a stranger here, though she still knew the streets well. Shops that had once existed and the pubs that had been on every street corner were gone, in their places housing for magical refugees, squats and so on. Even the 'good' side of London was suffering under the strain of this long standing division. She wondered if it would ever end.

' _It has to end.'_ she told herself.

She turned back to the kitchen table and went back to the file that Dumbledore had left on the table for her. It was hard to even imagine that her contact tonight would be Severus Snape, harder still to believe that he had been serving the Order as a double agent since the time she was born. Hermione blew some smoke out of her mouth as she reread his list of achievements, summarizing the information he had collected, the disasters he had abated and the value he had within the Order. If there was one thing that they both shared it was deep personal sacrifice for the sake of information, with the goal of serving the greater good through bad deeds.

"And you must have done plenty of those." She mused, pulling out a photograph of the dark man, who was once her Potions Master.

Crossing her legs on the chair she took a long look at the picture. He was more handsome than she remembered, certainly much less scary. She chuckled to herself about how he had instilled a sense of fear in her and her classmates. Severus Snape had even made a 5th year wet himself once. His capacity as a double agent made so many open questions from her student times at Hogwarts clear now.

The burden of being so close to the Dark Lord and trying to thwart him all at the same time must have been immense. The scenarios that played out in her mind lead her to the same conclusion, that Severus Snape has an air of irresistibility about him that she would have to closely monitor. It wasn't like her to give into her personal emotions, but depending on how things played out, it could be difficult with this man. If there was one thing Hermione liked though it was a challenge, and he certainly presented one. A man like that didn't trust easily, a man like that didn't give in to another. If they were going to crack this code and uncover the sites of the last remaining horcruxes, there was a very high chance that he would have to learn to trust her.

Hermione placed the photo on the table and dug through the file again, but nothing jumped out at her. Severus Snape had no living relatives, no girlfriends or mistresses. The only note in the file was that of Harry's Mother Lilly Evans. She eyed the picture of a beautiful redheaded woman and flipped over some of the papers. There was a brief description of their relationship, how it ended and a note mysteriously stating 'Motivation.'

"Hummmm." She wondered to herself.

It had been many many years since the death of Harry's mom. ' _What brings him motivation now?_ ' she wondered to herself. Muggle-borns made the best spies, their reason for doing what they were doing was clear. Snape's on the other hand was tenuous in her eyes.

"Let's see how illusive you will be with me tonight." She whispered back to Severus' photo, now looking back at her from the table.

The bell tower rang 11 am. It was time to prepare for the hand over in the most contentious piece of land on earth. Hermione couldn't deny that it excited her.

"It's time to see who you really are Severus Snape." Were the last words to escape her lips before she headed for a warm shower.


	3. Chapter 2: When Two Worlds Collide

**Disclaimer:** Just exploring my imagination, based on somebody else's characters

 **Note:** Hello! I'm really looking forward to how this story will develop. The first moment the main characters meet is the most critical in setting the tone for the whole story. So this one is ...very different than what I have tried in the past. That's half the fun for me for sure. In my mind this is a dark and gritty half love story. We'll see, it's always amazing to me how one idea can change over time. My goal here is to write Severus as more of a jerk than I normally do. I'm trying to break a bit my Severus mold and push for a darker Hermione too. It's always fun to see how all you readers and authors will react. I look forward to your comments and remarks as always. Hugs!

Also, I've put below the song and setting that I am envisioning. It's the first time I've incorporated these kinds of things in a story as well. ;-)

* * *

 **Chapter 2: When Two Worlds Collide**

* * *

 **Song** : Spotify "Why don't you do right?" by Sugarpie and the Candymen

 **Bar setting:** Google search "Atlas bar in Singapore"

* * *

 _ **De-Magicalized Zone (DMZ), The Kit Kat Club, January 2006**_

Severus Snape was horribly behind schedule when he knocked three times at the door of the most notorious sex club of the De-Magicalized Zone, the Kit Kat Club. He despised this strip of earth more than he could put into words. It was lawless, dirty and full of punks who needed to be taught their manners. It was during the course of teaching two young men their _manners_ that he realized he was running much more behind than he should be. The miscreants had already been apologizing for a long while, blood running down their faces, teeth missing and trembling in fear when he had to bring his lesson to an abrupt end. Grabbing his cane firmly at the bottom, using the snake head as a weapon, Severus properly bashed their skulls in with enough force to concus them and knock them unconscious. It probably wasn't enough to kill them, but then again, some were made of stronger stock than others.

Severus ran his fingers up the lapel of his cloak absentmindedly, coming across a small bit of skull and hair that had landed there. Scrunching his nose up most distainfully he flicked it off as if it were a fly resting there. That was what he hated most about the DMZ, with no wands and no wandless magic allowed there, one had to resort to getting one's hands _dirty_. The dower Potions Master snorted at this thought and began to observe the dirt under his nails as a small slit in the door opened, a pair of eyes looked at him from within.

"I'm here for the show." Severus said, as calm and collected as he could for a man running extremely late.

The pair of eyes squinted at him for a moment, then the slit shut and the sound of locks being unlocked sounded through the shabby wooden door. ' _Everything takes longer without magic._ ' Severus thought whilst rolling his eyes at the inordinate amount of time it was taking to enter this establishment of ill repute. Severus tapped his foot irritatingly, though he knew it wouldn't do him much good.

The door finally swung open and the must of stale cigarettes, cheap perfume and human musk filled his sensitive nostrils.

"You're late." A squat old woman said, looking up at him with her hands on her hips. She must have been half his height, certainly not any more than that.

Severus peered down at her, narrowing his eyes at her in an attempt at intimidation. It didn't work. "Manners." He said simply, holding up the head of his cane, still caked in blood.

"Pull that shit in here, and you'll need more than a cane to save your sweet pansy ass." Said the old lady, arms crossed, her eyes assessing him for any sort of real danger to the patrons.

Severus started to retort but then thought better of it. For as much as he'd love to put midget grandma in her place, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

He started again. "The only thing you'll see my pansy ass doing, is getting licked for an exorbitant price by one of your whores." He crossed his hands on his cane, giving her his most prim look he could muster.

That answer seemed to abate any fears she might have that he was a rabelrouser of sorts, and she motioned him to the club door.

"You'd better hurry, the final act is coming soon. You certainly don't want to miss that." The old woman gave him a toothless grin as she called out after him.

Severus ignored her and made his way through the club. He moved past the bar, the play rooms and the open sex areas and to the back where the shows took place. That was the only thing that interested him now, that was the only thing that mattered, finding Agent Lazarus and making the hand off.

' _Oh for the love of Merlin!'_ he cursed to himself.

There was only one seat in the house left, and that was right at the end of the long stage. The Kit Kat had a special kind of stage where the performers could remain closer to the curtain, on the more traditional side. Or they could walk out onto a peninsula of sorts that went really through the middle of the seated crowd. Severus had the great stroke of luck to be seated right at the end of this elongated part of the stage. Front and center, for lack of a better term. In a place where he wanted to remain as anonymous as possible, he was about to be the most prominently placed person in the room, other than the performers of course.

' _Well at least she won't miss me.'_ He thought to himself sarcastically.

Severus pushed through the crowd and took a seat. He ordered a glass of wine and acquainted himself with the surroundings. While the rest of the club left something to be desired, this particular part was most aesthetically pleasing. It was done up in a purple velvet with a sort of art deco feel that made if feel grander than it was. It gave one a sense of class in a rather classless environment. Interlacing his fingers in his lap and sitting back in his chair, Severus looked around at the clientele here. They were Wizards, Witches and Muggles from all walks of life. Mostly well dressed and done up, some fully clothed, some in dresses and suits far too risque to wear in public. There was nobody he knew, which was already a huge relief. He had not looked forward to an encounter with a former colleague from Hogwarts.

' _Oh the utter embarrassment.'_ He thought to himself, though a glint did come into his eye at the thought of catching Minerva at one of these places. ' _A fiery old hell cat no doubt.'_ He mused and took a sip of his wine, tapping his fingers incessantly on the table, waiting for the final act to begin.

Then a voice brought all of the talk, chatter and anything else that was going on there to a halt. "I'd like to thank everybody for being here tonight." It was a sexy, teasing type of voice, like one you might hear from a dominatrix.

Severus was all ears.

"This is my last number, so I thought I'd give you something to . . . think about later when you're engaged in full debauchery."

The utter naughtiness and zeast that came through from this disembodied voice, the curtains to the stage were still down, made Severus raise an eyebrow with distinct interest. The spotlight came on.

She started singing before the music began, it was a sweet pleading voice, one that made you feel desire in the pit of your stomach. "You had plenty money 19. . .22"

It was when the curtains pulled away that Severus instantly regretted not getting there sooner. The woman that walked out was like something he'd only ever seen in Muggle films, or his own dreams. She wore an emerald green dress that shimmered under the spotlight. It clung tenuously to her breasts, strapless and form fitting with a huge slit up the side. Her shoes were black platform and stiletto, making her several inches taller than she would have been, but extending her legs into such a form that it made even a restrained man like him want to crawl on his belly toward her. Her hair was a bit longer than shoulder length, full curls and arranged in a glorious ordered mess on one side of her head. A small bit of eye makeup and deep red lipstick drew you to all the right places.

If this was Agent Lazarus, then he was in trouble.

She finished the first couple of lines of the song, and had everybody in the room hooked instantly. Women, men, trolls ...everybody who was in that room only had eyes for her, for that confident, dirty little smirk that played across her face as she sang.

"Why don't you do right, like some other men do?"

As she drug out the end of that line, walking down the long part of the stage, nearing the middle of the audience, she stopped suddenly, bringing her hands behind her back. Her dress dropped to the floor, as if it were magic. Though, as Severus ran his finger in between his neck and his collar to escape the rising heat in his body, he knew it certainly wasn't.

Underneath her remarkable dress she wore a beautiful 1920's corset with skin toned meshing, emerald green ribbing and beautiful green and gold flowers covering only her nipples. Her panties were the same, cute flowers in the front, nude meshing in the back exposing her succulent bum to the audience. Her green garter belt heald her nude colored stockings with a single line running up the back of each leg.

It didn't matter if you were gay, straight, into elves or whatever, if you were not turned on by this woman you were most certainly dead. What was worse, was that she was coming right toward him, slow and easy, like a great white shark on the hunt for the choicest seal.

Severus removed his finger from his collar, but took out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead. He was sweating profusely, as was every other sexually sound being in the room.

Then, to his great surprise, a man hopped up on stage near her and began to gyrate crudely in her direction. The bouncers made their move, but the dazzling young woman on stage never stopped singing and never broke stride. She held her hand up as if to stop them and turned to her unwanted guest. She lifted a soft hand to his face and stroked it, just as the appropriate line came up.

"Get out of here, give me some money too!"

Once her line was finished, she lifted her right knee higher than one would think possible given the height of her own heels and she planted a kick right in his stomach. The normal sized man flew a fair distance and landed on the floor with a sickening thud.

The crowd cheered and she smiled in return, continuing her way down the stage. There were a small couple of stairs that she made her way down, now level with the crowd the spot light still following her. Severus had to grin at the way she flirted with the crowd, how she pulled handkerchiefs out of men's pockets, kissed women on the neck and took a drink of champagne from the patrons as she passed through. She had them in the palm of her hand, most of them anyway.

Severus did his best to not fall under her preverbal spell. She was indeed beautiful and captivating, but it was a cover. It was nothing but an intoxicating, well done, spot on cover that made his cock twitch in excitement and his blood run warmer than it had in a long while. He inhaled deeply and tried to remind him that this was all an act and that, when it was done, they would have to be professionals.

She was getting close to the end of the song, Severus could hear it in the music, there wasn't too much left to go. He was almost in the clear. Then not quite, she finally made her way to his table.

"Why don't you do right?" She sang, as she laid herself across his table, her buffet of goodies there for him to admire. Then she shifted so sat in front of him on his table, her spike of her heel in his right shoulder her hands gripping his lapels, pulling him toward her.

"Like some other men…" There was a long pause as she brought him in for a slow kiss, her heel causing him just the right amount of pain to heighten the sensation.

He didn't respond, he wouldn't give in so easily. She kissed his bottom lip, waiting a beat for a response. Then she let him go.

"..doooooo." Her smirk was priceless as she hopped back up on stage and walked away from the crowd, waving as she exited the stage.

The room broke into a huge roar of applause, whistling and all sorts of other calls that one could imagine in a place like this.

Severus merely sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair, her first onslaught avoided, who knew how much time he would have to recuperate. He finished his wine, wiped his face and took some deep breaths. The room had begun to chatter as people stayed to have more drinks, laughed and carried on. He would stay put, he would wait for her to come to him.

Though he didn't need to worry too much about where she had gone or what had happened to her, after some moments she came into the room through a side door. She had on a black latex underbust corset with a mesh bodysuit, black latex thong and high heeled boots up to her mid thighs. It was simple, but tasteful, well put together and accentuated everything she had to offer.

In a fashion much bolder than Severus would have liked, she walked right up to where he was sitting. "So you're the one who paid extra for a full night with me."

He hadn't.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear nibbling it while she spoke, "Well we're gonna have lots of fun tonight."

"Laz . ." He began in a hushed tone.

"Shushh." She said, bringing her fingers to her lips. "This way."

The beautiful young woman took him by the hand and lead him to a more private cabin of sorts. It was still visible to all who might walk by, a poorly beaded curtain their only barrier to the outside. But it was private enough. She motioned to a seat and he took it, looking up at her waiting for a continuation of their brief discussion.

She straddled him, bringing her lips once again to his ears. "There are ears everywhere in this club Severus. Eyes too." She leaned back and looked to her side, there was a camera in the cubical. "But that one only picks up video, so we should be able to have a civilized conversation."

She smiled then, looking at him with this kind of look that one might give if one had seen a unicorn for the first time. It was pensive, curious and above all, analytical.

Severus ran his hands over her black mesh covered breasts and down her corset, she was a beautiful creature and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to play it up for the camera. "I have questions." He said in that deep questioning kind of voice that he knew would will her to comply.

"We have 15 minutes before we can use the room I've arranged dearest." She took his chin in her hand and brought him nose to nose with her, "So ask." She whispered. Her amber eyes danced in amusement as she studied his face more closely.

Not to be outdone by a younger agent, he gripped her sweet little bottom and brought her hips to rest on his, sure she wouldn't miss what had been growing there. Her eyes and nostrils flared at the sudden feel of his more than healthy erection.

"Crankshaw was a flaming homosexual, who only took on male students and apprentices. How did you get close to him?" He fisted a good bit of her hair firmly in his right hand, pulling her head so she would look at him. He had to see her eyes, he had to know if she would lie. An agent's job was to lie, he knew that better than anybody. That was why he could not trust another agent, even if they played for the same team.

She resisted only slightly, then looked him in the eye. "Well clearly you don't seem to share his sexual leanings." She grinned, then continued. "I'm sure you know the feeling. You are beautiful, smart, at the top of your game…" She shook free his grip of her hair and licked the side of his neck so that the camera could see. "...then young beautiful boys know your weakness for them and use you. They take and they take until you feel like nobody loves you anymore."

Agent Lazarus sat back on Severus' knees, studying him with a look that made him feel like a science project, as if she were analyzing every muscle of his face for a reaction. "That's when you start to take on people who won't hurt you, people who want you for who you are, not what you can give them. You break the mold, change your habits."

"I see." Severus replied in a low sultry voice that made his little bunny shudder. He ran an idol finger over the front of her latex thong, he could feel she was aroused through it, and it titillated him.

"Why can't you give me the information I need now?" He was squeezing her clit between his thumb and forefinger, threatening both great pleasure or great pain depending on her response. He saw her smirk, caught in a scenario she had not anticipated.

She was perfectly still when she answered him, though the playfulness and naughtiness was still in her voice. "It's because of the form it is in. You will see when our room is free."

He sent her a devilish smirk, gently rubbing her bundle of nerves before running his hand up her back. She was muscled and firm, the kind of woman who could take punishment, he liked that.

She turned now, sitting on him with her back to him, her ass rubbing his cock, her back arched so his hands had full access to her breasts and her pussy, her head near his.

"You don't like my line of questioning, do you?" Severus said in a low voice, slipping his fingers beneath her panties and using his free hand to hold her neck and jaw. She was splayed across him so beautifully now, he was sure that the camera operator was taking full view.

She groaned, he liked the way she groaned. It was throaty and raw, it was real. . .while everything else was a cover, an illusion created to meet a predetermined end, these lovely sounds indicated she really liked what he was doing to her. He grinned, but she couldn't see it.

"No. And I know where it will go next." She moaned, moving her hips with his fingers. He had yet to enter her, and this surly frustrated his young companion.

"Where do you come from?" He grinded the question out in her ear, as he tightened his grip on her throat, so she knew how much he wanted her to answer.

"A dream." Were the only two words to leave her lips. She had his balls tightly in grasp, threatening serious pain if he pressed his will any further. Her heart rate was even, her movements measured, it lit a fire in Severus that he could not describe.

Severus released the agent from his seductively deadly grasp. "It's time." She said, releasing him and guiding him out of the tiny pleasure cabin.

Taking him by the hand, she lead him through some doors, then some others...then some more. They were in the back part of the club now, quieter than the rest. She took a key from her corset and opened one of the doors to the right, pulling him inside and shutting the door, locking it behind her.

Severus didn't miss a beat, as she turned around he was upon her. Pressing her sexy little body against his and the door. He wasted no time in claiming her lips in a deep, strong forceful kiss, one that a naughty girl deserved. Her muscles were twitching, but she wasn't fighting him. When he drew back she stumbled to the side, wiped her mouth and glared at him.

"You better get to work sweetheart, no kisses until _after_ you've done your job." There was an anger in her voice, a foreboding tone he couldn't place. He liked her, she was professional, sexy, most likely dangerous.

Agent Lazarus pushed past Severus and went to a locker in the corner. "Take a seat." She said without looking back at him. There was only one place to take a seat in this plainly done up room that had only one purpose in this club. "The desk!." She continue, annoyed that he was taking so long to arrange himself.

When she turned around with a pensive, his heart sunk. The reason for why she couldn't just hand him the information was now plain to him. Also the fact that they would be here most of the night, not engaged in other more stimulating activities also became clear. She grinned at his visible discomfort as she put the pensive down in front of him.

"So, Severus Snape." She made sure to annunciate all the syllables, almost as if she were mocking his speech pattern. "Have you ever taken a deep dive before?" She was standing across the ratty desk from him, her hands splayed out, face to face with him.

"If you are asking whether I've used a pensive before, then I'm afraid I must tell you the answer is yes." He was being difficult, they were power playing here and he would not be undercut.

She laughed and shook her head, then began to pace in front of him as if she were teaching a class. "A deep dive is something else. It's...messy." She looked over at him to see if he was following. "I told you I worked with Crankshaw, that I was apprenticed under him."

"You must be an exceedingly bright girl." He smirked deviously, his words both true and sarcastic. Crankshaw only took the best, there was no question in his mind that she was good, but how good was the question. There was a distinct enjoyment in ruffling her little feathers.

She smiled sarcastically back at him, her cute little ass twitching in that mesh bodysuit she still wore. "The reason I never finished my work with him, the reason I was with him for more than six years, was because he had dementia in the end."

Severus merely rolled his eyes and threw back his head. There wasn't much more that could have made this information extraction trickier. Crankshaw was a genius and with that came a certain thought process that would be taxing to understand, then utilize, then convert into information they could use. Dementia complicated this task tenfold.

She continued, "I took what I could when I could. When he didn't notice. That was early on. But later as he got really bad it was harder and harder to narrow down what memories might be useful."

Agent Lazarus looked over at him now, sadness in her eyes. She had cared for the man in some twisted way, that was not in question. To steal an old ailing man's memories, to grab them up as he lay there dying, while his synapses are still firing even when his heart had long ceased to pump, took a certain kind of cold heart. Severus looked at her, doing his best to remain as emotionless as always.

"Even till the end I took what I could." She was suppressing tears now, you didn't have to be an agent undercover to see that. "It's all here, in this pensive. And it's a fucking mess." She bit her lip nervously. "You're the only one who can make sense of what is in there now Sir."

Severus narrowed his eyes slightly at her use of the word 'Sir.' It was a strange usage, one that made him think of his Hogwarts days. HIs mind flashed back in quick succession, there was something about her tone, inflection and usage that was oddly familiar. Agent Lazarus was certainly of an age where he could have taught her if she had been in England at the time. He took a closer look at her face now, his earlier attentions having been drawn away from it by other more sexually alluring body parts.

She cut him off before he could get a more critical look at her face. "You have to do it now." She looked at the clock, "We have five hours before we are kicked out of here."

Severus nodded, knowing that the word "clusterfuck" didn't even begin to describe what he was about to dive into. He was about to go through the stolen memories of one of the most infamous Potions Masters in Wizarding History. One so dark and twisted that Lord Voldemort had entrusted him with such sensitive information that it could in fact lead to his own demise.

The pressure was huge, the stakes high. She would have to watch over him while he was completely immersed in Crankshaw's evil mind. Severus eyed her one last time, as if that would give him a good indication as to whether she was capable of protecting his person. He sighed to himself, ' _I guess I'm not going to live forever.'_

Just as he was dipping his head down toward the pensive Lazarus put her hand on Severus' shoulder. "Be careful in there. Find the list of Horcruxes and get out quickly." She warned. "Oh and kiss me again without my leave and I'll punch you in the face."

At that Severus could only grin. ' _Good girl._ ' He thought to himself as he leaned forward, falling into the abyss.


	4. Chapter 3: The Deep Dive

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

 **Note:** Sorry for the long wait on this and other stories. I was admitted last week for emergency surgery so my Sunday through Thursday was not so awesome. But now things are good and I have some nice home / down time. I look forward to your input on this chapter, it's a long one and a complex one. I am hoping to set up the right mood between out two main characters. Fingers crossed on this one. In the end...I need kick ass Hermione in my life. :-) As always, comments, questions and improvements are welcome!

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 **Chapter 3: The Deep Dive**

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 _De-Magicalized Zone (DMZ), The Kit Kat Club, Back Room January 2006_

As Severus tumbled down the pit of memories the pensive had been filled with, he began to understand why Lazarus had described it as a 'Deep Dive.' Normal pensives had some memories, usually no more than fifty distinct moments in a person's life. That was hard enough to wade through when you wanted to find the right thing, but it was _manageable_. The beautiful agent now watching over him had managed to gather so much over the years, it was probably the equivalent of ¾ a human brain worth of moments. The weight of these memories so smothering, it gave Severus the impression he was hundreds of feet under the ocean's surface. It was indeed a ' _fucking mess'_ as Lazarus had so elegantly described, a mess that _he_ had limited time to sort.

' _She had no real idea of what she was looking for.'_ He realized. ' _So she just took it all, not knowing what was important and what wasn't.'_ Severus smiled at his little agent's struggle for the truth. It must have been exceedingly frustrating for her.

His feet hit the ground of the pensive and Severus took a moment to steady himself and his thoughts. It had been clear to him the moment he had seen the pensive that it wasn't simply the fact that he knew the Dark Lord well, which had brought him to the Kit Kat Club this evening. His considerable command of both Occlumency and Legilimency made Severus adept at navigating the human mind. The irony of an introverted, socially deviant person having such a deep insight into the inner workings of the human mind wasn't lost on Severus, as he looked around at some of the memories surrounding him. There was nobody in the Order who could pull this off other than him, and he wasn't even sure he could under the given circumstances.

' _Without a method this will never work.'_ He admitted.

In the end he was looking for just a handful of remembrances, a couple of conversations or moments between Tom Riddle and Atticus Crankshaw that would reveal the complete list of Horcruxes. He was looking for a needle in a haystack, in a fucked up, dark, dementia laden haystack, the depths of which he had little interest in truly seeing. Severus inhaled deeply at the thought of what he could encounter in this dark mess of deviant things. Atticus had been instrumental in helping Gellert Grindelwald in his fight for wizarding supremacy. The man had experimented on Muggles in the most horrible ways, advancing potions as a discipline more in the span of a decade than any witch or wizard had in hundreds of years. Though at the cost of ethics and his own humanity. Aside from that, it made him a paraha in the Potions community, only those ready to put their own reputations on the line would have sought him out. Atticus and Tom were good bedfellows, both figuratively and literally, should one want to think in those kinds of terms. There was no doubt that the future Dark Lord would have looked up to this wizard, possibly even loved him.

' _Tom would have been just out of Hogwarts when he went to apprentice to Atticus._ ' Severus mulled this thought over and did the maths. ' _So 1944 to 1946 should be about right.'_

Crankshaw had been an impeccable dresser, always with the latest style. It should be relatively easy to base his filtering of memories on dress, historical fact and who was alive or not. With this problem solved, Severus' mind swept toward the issue of his dementia. The disease wasn't dangerous in the pensive, but it would complicate things greatly. Viewing dementia in a pensive was like watching a bad Muggle VCR tape. The image could be fuzzy, could skip. One might even be able to see everything but hear nothing or the other way around. The worst would be, ofcourse, if the memory was split across the pensive, splintered and attached to other memories that didn't make sense. There was no doubt in Severus' mind that Crankshaw was a disgusting human being and a black mark on Wizarding kind, but it would do him no pleasure to see the effects of this disease on his once brilliant mind. It was the biggest fear of any witch or wizard worth their salt, losing their minds slowly and painfully.

Only then did something even more unnerving than that dawn on Severus. ' _What if he booby-trapped his mind?''_ Even in his disembodied state, Severus could feel the chill run down his spine.

' _Damn you Albus!'_ was the only clear thought that came after that. It had all been a well planned scheme to get him into the pensive without asking too many questions. The old man had known what he was doing, sending Severus to a place that would light the spark of lust inside of him, distract him from the real dangers of what was being asked of him. Keeping him occupied with a beautiful woman Albus knew Severus would take more than a mild liking to. Then sure he'd jump right into the mind of an evil genius and look for the one piece of information he had probably protected above everything else.

Severus exhaled deeply but couldn't wipe the grin from his face, ' _Oh Lazarus, you are a bad bad girl.'_ If he got out of this intact, he would show her just how much ' _trouble_ ' she was in. A jolt of arousal filled Severus briefly.

It was clear he would just have to proceed with caution. Booby-traps could be anything. A reflection of yourself in a memory so immersive you just stay there staring at yourself forever. They could also be more aggressive, innocuous memories all of the sudden grabbing you and pulling you into the memory - eventually driving you mad. There were a plethora of horrific things that could happen to his mind if he made unfortunate choices in Crankshaw's fucked up little wonderland. It didn't make Severus feel extremely confident about the task before him, but there was no time to dwell on it now.

' _Well let's get on with it then.'_ Severus pressed forward.

The first thing Severus stumbled across that peaked his interest was a vision of Crankshaw sitting fully clothed on the sand, watching the waves. The man's eyes were empty, devoid of any thought or soul. He was cross-legged, his hands in his lap in a prim and proper fashion that did not fit the relaxed beach setting. It was a dementia laden memory, the once beautiful man's face a collage of his features from different times in his life. Crankshaw's blonde flowing hair from his younger years, mixed with his older blue turned grey eyes, his mouth drawn in a tight light with deep wrinkles at the corners. The man was staring off into the waves, complacent and defeated. Severus walked closer, keeping the shadow of the dead wizard firmly in his vision.

Kneeling down next to him Severus took a final good look, "So this is where you ran off to when you couldn't remember anything, huh old boy?" It came out as a whisper, though Severus knew the memory could not hear him no matter how loud he spoke.

"You took it with you to the grave. You had the chance to do something good for once, to get that redemption you always craved...and you took it to the grave." Severus searched the features of his iconic foe, leaving one finale puzzle even in death. "Well we'll have you do something right, whether you like it or not."

As if he had heard him, Crankshaw's once empty staring eyes snapped to, turning toward Severus with lightning speed. His hand flew from its resting position on his lap and grabbed for the darker haired wizard. His reflexes sharp, Severus leaned backward from his kneeling position watching the pale hand of Atticus Crankshaw miss him by an inch. Getting quickly to his feet, Severus backed up a few steps and let out a sigh of relief. It had been a warning, a sort of 'turn back now or face the consequences' message.

' _Well bravo Lazarus you got something of value.'_ Severus smirked to himself before proceeding through the mass of memories before him.

Lazarus had at least done her best to sort the memories in a sort of basic chronological order that was helpful. The most recent, and also most dementia tainted memories were first. Severus walked through them casually, as though he were in a clothing store browsing the cloaks section. Nothing of particular interest on the one hand, but his gut giving him the feeling that there might be something of value to snatch up. He had moved about these memories long before his gut would be proven correct. Severus came across a fading glitchy memory, but coherent enough to pull out the most important points. It was of Lazarus, her curly hair unmistakable but her face was obscured and her voice had been altered.

' _Smart girl.'_ Severus smirked to himself as he leaned in for a closer look.

Had these memories fallen into the wrong hands it would have been imperative not to have her identity revealed. A lesser wizard or witch would have mistaken these things as dementia, flutters of a slowly deteriorating mind, but Severus could detect the subtle signs of manipulation. It was the tone of her voice, the unnatural tint of the shade that obscured her face that revealed her alteration of these memories.

' _Seems there are still some things you need to learn my dear.'_ His cock twitched at the anticipation of what other things he could teach her, and what she might be able to teach him in return.

Moving him from his musings, the memory began. Atticus was angry, that feeling was almost immediate as Severus observed this memory.

"No no no, Miss Smith for the Draught of Living Death you need to stir clockwise at all times. What is this counterclockwise business?" It was clear the old, yet still blonde haired wizard was angry that his apprentice was brewing a potion counter to his original instruction.

Before the young lady, who was clearly Lazarus under a cover name, could answer the prissy old Wizard interjected, "And if you tell me this is what Severus Snape taught you one more time, I'll box your ears."

Severus smiled at this small but not insignificant revelation. ' _Oh Lazarus, you've just given yourself away.'_

He didn't know who she was quite yet, there must have been thousands of students that had passed through his classroom over the years. This would be enough to narrow it down though. Severus grinned at the obstinate feeling rolling off the girl, she clearly thought she knew better, and in this case she did. Not able to watch the memory to completion, Severus pressed forward, knowing that time was of the essence. He would keep this tidbit of information for later.

It was immediately obvious that the most recent memories of Atticus Crankshaw were of little or no use in Severus' search for the complete list of Horcruxes. He left this batch of memories behind in favor of the older ones, the deeper ones. Severus glanced around, taking in the volume of memories that surrounded him. Passing through the memories of the first big wizarding war he almost had to avert his eyes from what was in front of him. The experiments Crankshaw had performed on Muggles were hideous, something that even the Dark Lord could not concoct on his own. His subjects had their insides rotting out, were bleeding from all orifices, pleading and begging for their lives.

' _You have to be a special kind of maniac to do this to people and feel nothing.'_ Severus thought as he mucked his way though the years of death and sorrow Crankshaw had wreaked on an innocent population of human beings, who had done nothing more than exist.

Shaking off the feeling as best he could, Severus continued toward some more promising post-war memories. The post-war Crankshaw in a very period distinct three piece outfit in pink, a feather in his hat felt diminished in some way, Severus noted. He had fallen out of favor after the war, he had been punished publicly, humiliated in the wizarding community and would have been considered persona non grata in most social circles. So despite his beautiful, still youthful appearance and his modern dress boarding on flamboyant, there was a sense of defeat that rolled off of these post war memories. Severus moved quickly on these memories, sweeping his eyes left to right so as to not miss anything.

Then something grabbed him hard, an innocuous person on the road, in a memory of Crankshaw going to the store. The man grabbed Severus at the wrist, his face angry, his eyes bulging out of his head and he began to pull Severus toward him, into the scene. It was a trap, Severus acted quickly. He placed his free hand on top of the man's holding it to him as if he were in control.

Hoping he had judged this trap correctly, not having the luxury of time Severus began to repeat to himself aloud, "Fear is the killer. Fear defeats the mind and weakens it."

At these words the man in front of him began to change form, his face hollowed out and became more monstrous, more death like. "If I fear, I am dead. If I do not fear, I am strong."

Severus continued, chanting loud enough for only himself and the monstrous man holding him to hear. "Fear is the mind killer and I do not have fear. I fear not what this mind holds."

It was at this point he looked the monstrous booby-trap in the face, its flesh rotting off, its eye sockets empty, "I do not fear you Atticus Crankshaw, I am stronger than you. For you are dead and I am not."

With these words Severus narrowed his coal black eyes and projected all of his inner mental strength at the being holding him. Screeching, recoiling and trying to pull away as if burned, the booby-trap began to slowly wither. Severus held it there with his hand and his eyes, needing to make sure it died.

"You have no power over my mind." Were the last words Severus uttered, it was a stake to the heart of the being as it pulled away screaming, withered and slowly melted into a puddle on the street of the memory Severus was currently in.

He exhaled, knowing that he had been lucky to escape such a trap. Had he panicked or shown fear, the trap's power would have increased. ' _Well I must be close then.'_ Severus said to himself before moving on, not giving the puddle of ooze a second glance.

It was a feeling that guided Severus through, this innate instinctual pull that something intimate was about to transpire. It was guiding him toward a certain block of memories. There was no difficulty in spotting his youthful dark master. Tom Riddle had been an exceptionally good looking man, with a sense of strength, dignity and hunger surrounding him. He was the foil to Crankshaw, a slightly older, blonde man but no less beautiful with regard to outward appearance. There was love here, Severus could feel that the relationship between the two men had not been a simple sexual exchange between apprentice and Master, which was often the case. It had been different, it had been deep, something this hardened old man had clung to over the years. The memory, unlike many others he had seen, was almost completely intact.

' _Here._ ' Severus somehow knew it was here, his years of experience with the human mind culminating in this very moment.

It was a very normal scene, a bedroom with a roaring fire. But the feelings were very intense. As Severus neared it, and the vision of the memory became clearer he could see the two men, Crankshaw and the young Voldemort, lying together naked. The smell of sex thick in the air, the feeling of a great and deep love for Tom Riddle very apparent in Crankshaw's memory. Whether Tom felt the same way or not was unclear. The two men kissed, then began to speak. Severus leaned in, careful to make sure nothing would attack him.

Crankshaw lovingly moved some dark strands from Riddle's face, "Something is troubling you, what is it?"

The boy was clearly agitated, "I will do it better than he did. Better than Grindelwald could have ever imagined. I just have a dilemma of choice."

Annoyed Atticus propped himself up on one arm, running a finger down the length of Tom Riddle's body. Severus couldn't deny that Tom had been a gorgeous young man. Certainly a jewel in the crow of the notoriously lecherous Atticus Crankshaw. "Tom, we discussed this already. One horcrux may not change you, but five, six...eight as you talk about is just insanity my dear boy."

Tom got up at this point, angry and walked over to the fire. "Immortality and success are more important Atticus." He balled up his fist in frustration. "I must choose my vessels wisely, or risk being destroyed."

For as much as Atticus was content to maim and torture behind closed doors, he was not much for conflict between wizards. Particularly between lovers, this was known. Had it not been known, the feeling of wanting to reconcile quickly and move on slowly began to overwhelm Severus.

"So then you have already decided using your familiar, the ring, your diary and the three pieces from the Hogwarts founding members, Godrick Gryffindor notwithstanding. What will you do with the two other parts of your ravishing soul." Atticus got up from the bed and walked over to Tom, wrapping his arms around him in a conciliatory gesture.

"I was thinking of something dirty." The young man said, not responding to Crankshaw's advances, but continuing to stare into the flames. "They should be something Muggle. Something no self respecting Wizard would know about. That should seal the deal."

"Oh that _is_ indeed dirty." Crankshaw replied with a double entendre playing on his lips.

The boy's words were devoid of emotion and any soul, "I will take the Muggle King of England's crown jewels. Seems fitting to impart my soul on such a symbol of opulence and power."

Crankshaw merely nodded, wanting the conversation to finish as soon as possible.

"Then," Tom continued, turning to Crankshaw his demeanor changing completely, "I was thinking I would dedicate the last piece of my soul to you."

This changed the mood of the memory completely, from one of concern about love to one of complete love. Crankshaw was always a very insecure man. "Oh and what would that be?" The older blonde man asked, kissing Tom on the neck and pressing their hips together.

"You remember this painting we saw together?" Tom asked, without really asking. "The one where you admitted that perhaps Muggles could be spared if they made such beautiful things?"

At this point Crankshaw was still listening but more focused on the next round of intimacy than what was coming out of Tom's mouth. Praying the dementia had not set in now, Severus strained to listen as Tom continued, "This muggle mythical hero Achilles, I was thinking that…"

Severus struggled suddenly against the force pulling him up and away from the memory, he flailed his arms and yelled as the pressure of the pensive lifted from his body and the environment around him began to change. He gasped for air looking around him but not yet able to focus his vision. He'd been pulled from the pensive, this much was clear, a pair of rather strong arms holding him upright in his chair. Severus was unstable, his mind and body still adjusting to reality, but he could hear a voice. It was distant, as if his head were underwater and somebody was talking to him through the murkiness. Another groan escaped Severus' lips as a hard slap across the face suddenly brought the world into focus. He was nose to nose with Lazarus, the shitty backroom they had come to hours before came into view. Her mouth was moving but he was only picking up parts of what she said.

Then she shook him again, "They are raiding the club Severus, did you see what you needed to see?" The intensity of her eyes and the strain in her voice made it clear to him that this was not the first time she had asked him this question.

Still coming back to reality Severus stole a moment to take in her face, now fully exposed to him. She had pulled her riotous hair back and removed the makeup from her eyes. She was still beautiful, perhaps even more so in her natural state.

"Yes." Was the only thing he could say without feeling the need to lose his lunch.

She didn't hesitate one second when she moved her hand to shoved the pensive from the ratty desk, watching it shatter on the floor the, memories of Atticus Crankshaw gone forever. Evaporated into the air where no other soul would be able to see them again.

"We have to go now." Lazarus said, pulling him to his feet.

It was only now that Severus was slowly picking up on the chaos that was erupting in the club, screams and loud voices traveling through the shitty ventilation system. Voldemort knew somebody was there, had reason to believe the memories were there. The use of the pensive had certainly produced a light magical signature in an area where none should have existed. Lazarus had known it would draw Voldemort's agents to them, she had just miscalculated how long it would take them to find the club. They had to make a hasty exit, getting caught was not an option.

Lazarus threw him a black face mask so he could cover his nose and lower face, his cloak would provide enough cover for the rest of his head. She had changed her clothes in the few hours he had been in the pensive. Gone were the sexy latex garments she had worn so fiercely and in their place she was dressed in black. A sort of Muggle tight sport pants in black, a black jacket, tennis shoes and a black cap that covered her hair from view.

She threw him his cane, "You know how to use that, right?"

Severus caught the cane and lifted an eyebrow, "Now is no time to be facetious Lazarus." He teased the witch as he watched her organize a few things. Curiously she took one of her stiletto shoes in hand and positioned herself near the door they had come through.

Lazarus rolled her eyes, "Take the back door, follow the hallways carefully out and wait for me at the white exit door."

"And if you don't come?" Severus asked, knowing the level of Voldemort's agents.

At this question Lazarus laughed, a playful spark dancing across her beautiful amber eyes, she had already pulled her face mask so only her eyes were visible, "Severus." She let his name hang thick in the air. "I always come." The double entendre played across her eyes in that come hither way that would make any man drop to his knees.

Though Severus would not have much time to ponder her playful words, because the door to the room began to strain against its hinges. He pulled up his face mask for good measure. Somebody big and mean was throwing themselves against the locked door, the continued thuds getting harder and harder.

Lazarus turned to him then, "Fucking run!" She yelled.

Severus had only taken a step when the door burst open, the chaos and noise of the club flooding into the room. Turning his head slightly as he ran toward the escape route, Severus saw that Lazarus had grabbed the huge man by the arm, plunging the heel of her stiletto through his cheek. The man yelled in pain and surprise as she tripped him bringing him to the ground. There was blood everywhere. Severus only caught a glimpse of the second man right behind the first, as he ran out the back door as fast as his legs could carry him. The sounds coming from the room he had just exited suggested she had the situation well under control.

Severus knew the game had changed now, knew that the mission was to get him out of there alive, so he could relay what he had found to Albus. He knew deep down that Lazarus would do anything to protect him and that she would have to kill all agents they came in contact with. Any description of them could lead to discovery. Severus gripped his cane tightly as he cautiously made his way through the shitty back hallway of the club. The lights flickered, the stench was atrocious but he didn't have the feeling that somebody was following him.

HIs hand on the wall, Severus made his way down the dark hallway, cursing the fact that he couldn't use magic to alleviate the situation. The sooner he was out of this shit hole the better. The sooner both of them were out of this shit hole the better. The white exit door came into view, a fluorescent light flickering above it. Gently on the tips of his toes, Severus made his way toward the door, his senses ablaze. He decided that ten minutes would be the maximum amount of time he would wait for Lazarus before he exited the club of his own accord. He'd meant what he said in the room, that a plan B in the case they couldn't make it out together was important. He didn't have to consider this point long though, his eyes picked up Lazarus as she come racing down the hallway in a full run. She was like a little antelope running toward him at such speed he was afraid she wouldn't stop before ramming into him.

What little he could see of her face had some minor blood splatter and her knuckles were a bit bloodied, but she was otherwise fine. Their eyes met and she nodded, he opened the door. Now in the alleyway behind the club, the somewhat fresh air of the DMZ was a small relief from the oppressive musty air of the club. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye Severus raised his cane to attack before Lazarus caught his elbow in her hand.

"No no, he's on our side." She said looking toward the street kid he was about to bludgeon.

Kneeling down she pulled out some gallions from her pocket, "So?" she asked, clearly in a hurry.

"There's two in the club." The boy began.

"Dead, next." She countered.

"Two roaming the alleys here and one near the exit." The young boy said, eyeing her money.

"Ok." She answered, placing the gallions in the kid's hands. "Now use this money for food, no drugs, ok?"

The dirty street boy nodded and ran off. Clearly going to use the money for anything but food.

Lazarus turned to Severus, "We proceed with caution then."

He nodded, taking her in as much as he could. Lazarus had to be a Muggle, they made the best spies and she had no problem with hand to hand combat. Most witches and wizards would have been repulsed to do the things she did in that room to Voldemort's agents. She was skillful, an artist for lack of a better term. It ignited a fire in Severus.

He had no choice but to follow this beautiful agent down the mess of an alleyway, the crisp January night air hitting his face, making his cheeks sting.

There were a few small things that Severus was grateful for, one being the cold temperature suppressing the stench of the alleyway. As a Potions Master he had a refined sense of smell, but you didn't have to be practiced to realize that even now the stench of what must have been all sorts of human and animal waste permeated the alleyway. They crisscrossed the system of empty streets, as carefully as they could. Cross streets gave way to other cross streets and seeming dead ends where they had to wiggle though gates and crawl over obstructions. If he had to be honest with himself, Severus had no idea where they were and hoped to Merlin that she did.

It was at a particularly dark cross street where the next attack happened. A man ran out from the side alleyway and tackled Lazarus, driving her hard into the ground. A second man came from behind them, his fists aimed at Severus. A grin on his face Severus artfully sidestepped his assailant, allowing his cane to bury itself deep in the man's abdomen. To the background of yells and punching from the other two, Severus made quick work of the man kneeing him in the face, pulling him to the ground and promptly caving in his face in about five well placed strikes.

' _A new personal best.'_ Severus mused as he turned to see Lazarus snap the neck of her opponent.

Both he and Lazarus were heaving, their chests violently rising and falling as they were catching their breaths after several moments of intense fighting. Their eyes locked and Severus could detect a smile from under her face mask. He was smirking himself, it was rare that two people could share the thrill of killing together with no regret or remorse. She was a rare find, one he would not be willing to let go of so easily.

They continued down the alleyway without saying a word. They didn't need to, they were communicating through instinct and that was enough. If the little boy had been right, then there was only one more agent left, at the very end of their journey. Lazarus motioned Severus to look ahead, there was a man, presumably an agent of Voldemort's, pacing ahead. Raising an eyebrow in apprehension Lazarus made her way down the dark side of the alley, doing her best not to be seen. Staying back Severus observed the scene from afar, allowing her to assess the situation.

Severus sucked in breath when a cat kicked over some trash near Lazarus, making noise and drawing the attention of the other agent. Then it all happened very quickly. The form of a man pulled something from his jacket, pointed it toward her and a loud pop followed. Lazarus dropped to the ground, rolled in the middle of the alley, pulled a Muggle firearm from her own jacket and fired twice, her belly on the ground. The figure groaned and fell over. Quickly she was on her feet, a small trail of blood following her to the dying agent. She kicked his firearm away from him, then there was another pop and he fell silent. Severus came only when she motioned him that it was clear.

Jogging over to her Severus immediately took her wounded arm in his hand and turned it so he could better observe it. The Muggle firearm bullet had grazed her shoulder, leaving a line of blood but no hole. She would be fine. Their eyes met and he knew this was where they would part ways. Acutely aware that she could be a legilimens he did not turn from her penetrating gaze. Deep down Severus knew they were thinking the same thing. There was a storm of passion brewing between them. A passion that could suck you in if you came too close. A storm so dark and so foreboding Severus feared that to give into it would be to accept that it would never let him go. To weather it out would be foolish, to run headlong into it would surely kill him. It was a dilemma he had rarely encountered in his life.

Lazarus reached for the buttons of his waistcoat, lacing her fingers underneath them at his chest height. Her movement was so quick she caught him off balance, bringing him a step closer to her. Though both their mouths were still covered by the black masks they were wearing, she deftly captured his bottom lip between her lips. Sucking it gently into her mouth, raising up on her toes kissing him deeply.

"You get half of your kiss now, and half once you let me in on the secrets of the pensive." She whispered, never looking away from his deep dark eyes.

Severus was glad there had been some thin piece of fabric separating their lips, for the pulse pushing through his body was already strong enough without actual skin contact. Attempting to contain his excitement, Severus inclined his head signaling it was a fair deal.

"I'll keep you to that Lazarus." Were his last words before he turned and walked toward East London. When he looked back again she was gone, only her scent still hung in the air.

* * *

 _Death Eater Controlled East London, The Voldemort School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, The Headmaster's Chambers_

Severus Snape pulled the hood of his cloak further over his head as he snuck back into Lord Voldemort's derelict part of London. It was well after curfew, which meant he probably wouldn't come across anybody on the street. It did, however, complicate things immensely if he _were_ to be so unlucky. Hoping to avoid any sort of nasty incident Severus double backed, waited in hidden dark corners and made sure he was not being followed by one of the Dark Lord's secret police before finally snaking his way back to his private chambers. Once inside the school the tension he had been carrying with him since his daring escape from the DMZ melted away. Though it wasn't until he had reached his private chambers, his inner sanctum, when he truly felt that he could breath easily. He had protected his chambers from any intrusion before his departure and was happy to see that nobody had tried to access his chambers during his absence. Severus immediately ripped off the black face mask given to him by Lazarus and removed his clothing, leaving them in bunches on the floor. Flicking his wand toward his bathroom he made sure the tub was filled with warm water before pouring himself a firewhiskey and easing himself into the steaming water.

He lowered himself gingerly into the tub, the steam threatening to burn his skin before it even touched water. Once inside the warmth of the water attacked his chilled bones giving him several moments of discomfort before his entire body was brought to temperature. His normally pale white skin turning pink from the heat of the bath and the rush of blood the warmth encouraged. Severus brought the tumbler to his lips and leaned his head back allowing his tense muscles a moment to relax. It had been quite a night, much more than he had prepared himself for. To say he hadn't been satisfied with the evening in all senses would have been to lie through his teeth. Severus grinned.

He quickly made some mental notes of what he had heard whilst in Crankshaw's memories. This was, of course, the main goal of the mission. To recover the complete list of Horcruxes and see if anything had been overlooked.

' _Tom's diary and Nagini were well known and both disposed of. Also the diadem, cup, locket and ring had all been destroyed at great expense to both Albus and Potter. So the last two were certainly new information.'_ Severus growled in excitement at these thoughts, it seemed that they were truly on to something that could put them on the path to ending this war for good.

Taking another long drink of his firewhisky Severus continued his musings, ' _This leaves the crown jewels and a painting about Achilles._ " Balling up his fists Severus hit the side of the tub hard.

"How many fucking paintings could that be?" he groaned out loud. If he could have stayed a bit longer he might have been able to discern more. "But in the end how much more?"

Severus pursed his lips tightly together. ' _They were discussing a private moment shared between the two of them. I'll have to take some time to research this.'_ This was where his knowledge of the Dark Lord would have to come into play.

He had never paid much attention to what Voldemort said regarding art, but now he would have to take notice. ' _For the love of Merlin.'_ Severus thought slipping deeper into the tub, doing all that he could to wash off the grit of the long day. ' _It would have to be this Muggle mythical hero and a lover, a male lover. That is where I must begin.'_

' _A lover…'_ it was only then that Severus allowed his mind to drift to Lazarus. Sexy, smart, deadly. What _didn't_ press all his buttons in all the right ways? She _had_ made a minor tactical error, not anticipating that he would be called in to sift through the memories she had so diligently collected. ' _She must be wondering if I saw anything.'_ he mused with a sinister grin on his face. He wanted her on edge, it gave him the tactical advantage in their little game.

With a flick of his wrist an old Hogwarts yearbook from 1993 sprang from one of his many bookshelves and zipped through the air to him. The book floated in front of him just over the bath water as he flipped through the pages.

"Let's see." He said out loud to himself. "She's reckless, brave and Albus would have known my predisposition toward Gryffindors...she must be in that god forsaken house." He rolled his eyes and turned the pages until he landed on the red and yellow colored pages of Gryffindor House. His eyes roamed over the students quickly and methodically. A hawk on the hunt for a tiny field mouse. There was _one_ girl who stood out, to the point that Severus cocked his head to the side as if it afforded him a different angle of her juvenile face.

Then he just laughed, "It can't be."

Another flick of his wrist sent yet another book came flying toward his slowly cooling bath. It was a scrapbook of sorts, a collection of articles on Death Eater activities involving the Muggle students of Hogwarts. Calculating quickly in his mind, Severus ran his finger gently over the index and turned to the year 1994. Licking the tip of his finger idoly he flipped through pages and pages of clippings until finally the story he was looking for appeared.

" _ **Hogwarts Student Hermione Jean Granger and her parents found murdered in their London home"**_ was the headline. He skimmed the story, they had been found in the burned out remains of their London home to be exact, October 1994. Severus wiggled his mouth side to side slightly as he began to reconcile all the information.

He turned his attention back to the yearbook, the picture of a thirteen year old, buck-toothed, frizzy haired know-it-all started back at him, a prim smile on her face. Squinting his eyes ever so slightly at the yearbook picture, Severus held up his hand and covered the bottom half of her face. Then he nearly spit out his firewhiskey out all over the book. The shape of the eyes, the color and the curly hair were unmistakable. Severus ran his long slender fingers through his wet hair and leaned back allowing himself to take in some air and a bit of distance.

"Hermione Jean Granger." Were the only words that came out of his mouth.

It was more of a contemplative release of her name from his lips, the puzzle pieces still not quite coming together. Though the thought of her meant that he couldn't contain the stiffening of his cock, his mind going back to the young woman he had met earlier that evening. He had no qualms about sexual attraction to a student or a former student, things like this never preoccupied him as it did his former Hogwarts colleagues. It was just surprising, mind boggling even that this girl in the photo was Lazarus. Though Severus had to admit that even fourteen years after her presumed death it was difficult to forget Miss Granger. The pride of Gryffindor, the brightest witch of her age, the best friend of the Boy Who Lived. So many had grieved at her death, it had been a rallying cry and had mobilized the Order to act.

Severus' voice was throaty, "Oh Albus you are a right cunt."

Albus had turned her death into a reason to attack the Dark Lord, then turned the Muggle witch into a weapon of war. "And I thought I got the shit end of the stick."

It all made sense now, protect the girl and her family before the Muggle Purge of 1994, focus her anal retentive nature on fighting Voldemort, then train her up as well as you can and what comes out on the other end? A weapon. A sexy, intelligent weapon against the Dark Lord. Chuckling Severus mulled over how he would use this new information effectively. Knowing her identity gave him the power over her that he craved. It would be his defense against her, a way to use her to his advantage, bring her to him.

Not able to resist the ache between his legs Severus reached into the water grasping his cock firmly at its base. All past annoyances and grievances aside, Miss Granger had indeed turned out to be one hell of an agent. His hand slid up his cock, twisting at the head, "I will make you mine Hermione Jean Granger, you just don't know it yet."

* * *

 _Order of the Phoenix Controlled West London, Safe House_

Hermione warded the door of the safe house and flung herself on the area rug in the living room. Small wisps of dust swirled around her as she closed her eyes and mentally did a body check. Everything from her fingers to her toes was working, even her hands were not as battered as she had expected. She flexed her fingers several times just to assess the level of swollenness they would have in the morning and sighed. She'd taken a good hit to the ribs in the club's backroom that had only gotten worse when she had been tackled in the alley,

' _So some bruised ribs._ ' she noted wincing only slightly as she let some breath out of her lungs.

Then there was the bullet wound in her shoulder. It had been lucky for her, the bullet had grazed her shoulder opening a wound but not penetrating her body. Wizards were piss poor shots when they got their hands on Muggle weapons and she had capitalized on the agent's incompetence. Otherwise she had made it out of the DMZ her mission objectives complete, with all of her limbs functioning and all of her marbles - it was more than she could have asked for. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, she had gotten more than she had bargained for this night.

Adrenaline was still coursing through her veins as Hermione pulled her face mask down and ran her fingers tips over her lips, they were still warm where they had touched Severus'. She exhaled deeply, knowing she'd crossed the line with him, just as he had with her. They were playing a dangerous game now, not able or willing to undo what had already been done. Hermione opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, he was nothing if not a formidable wizard and she liked that.

If he had indeed gotten the information out of the literally millions of memories she had stolen from Crankshaw, it was no small feat. Particularly when you factor in the booby-traps she had known were there. The old man had been many things in his day, but stupid had never been one of them. It had not taken years of undercover work with the old buzzard to know he was cautious and predisposed to nasty surprises. That was why it had taken her so long to siphon his memories off. She had feared what she might encounter in his mind if she did not take the proper precautions. Deep down, she knew she couldn't have done what Severus had - she knew too little to breach the mind of madman and come out sane on the other end.

Hermione had however, factored in the very likely scenario that whoever would search those memories would be stuck there, trapped forever in the consciousness of a monster. It would have been painful for her to slit Snape's throat and run, but she had prepared herself to do it the minuet his body had shown signs of mental captivity. She smiled to herself, more relieved than anything else. The fact that he had made it out of the pensive intact with the information was begrudgingly impressive. It would be next Sunday before they had any contact with Snape, a long time to wait for results.

The second thing that had caught her eye with regard to Severus Snape was his physicality. There had been hints of this already in the lap dance cabin of the Kit Kat Club. She had purposely run her hands over his shoulder and down his chest, taking the measure of what kind of man she was dealing with. Where as most wizards were average men with no great need to engage in physical activity, Severus Snape had been anything but the average wizard. His chest and abs were defined through the thick wool of his robes, his arms held her firmly against his body threatening both pain and pleasure based on her willingness to submit. His thighs had been thick and toned, begging her to grip them harder. His cock...at the thought of _that_ Hermione pinched her thighs together, brought her hands to her chest and smiled in this girlish way she had not in ages. Its size and girth had been so surprising that she couldn't contain her arousal at the club. Surly he had picked up on that and would use it to his advantage. She shook her head, tilted it back and sighed.

Hermione lifted her body from the floor and slowly began to peel off her blood soaked clothing. They smelled of the alley and this brought her thoughts to what they had done there. Where most wizards didn't want to get their hands dirty, Severus Snape had seemed to enjoy the action. The blood she had seen on his cane while he was taking the deep dive had clued her into this fact, but to watch him in action had been something completely different. He was practiced, precise. Snape had moved with a grace and confidence she had seen few wizards do, his cane an extension of his arm doing his bidding as easily as if it had been attached to his body through skin and bone. A smirk crossed her face as she dropped her clothing into a bag for incineration, he was a dark angel as deadly with a wand as he was with his fists. He had a hold on her, one that made her uncomfortable and shifty. It was unlike her to fixate on a person that wasn't her mark, to let herself get too close. Yet Severus Snape had manage to slither under her skin, invade her mind and capture her senses.

It was only then that a realization washed over her. ' _Did he see me in Crankshaw's memories?_ ' She'd never considered it before, mainly because she had not known until the very last minute who she would come in contact with that evening.

' _Did I leave anything that would give me away?_ ' a nervousness ran through her body at the realization that her true identity might be discovered.

Mulling these thoughts over, she made her way to the bathroom, filling the tub and staring at herself in the mirror. She was different now, she had taken her old self and tucked it away, hoping that one day she she might unpack that semi-innocent, bright and friendly girl she had once been. She had saved this part of her, protected it against great odds, and now her two very different worlds threatened to collide.

Hermione's eyes fluttered back to the mirror, observing her nude body in full. She pulled at a stray chestnut curl and bit her lip. They were so close now to finally ending this whole war, any slip up could cost them. She didn't know what Severus had found in that pensive or where the road would lead them. It would be easier if their paths didn't cross again, less difficult for her to compartmentalize her feelings. Somehow she had the strange sinking feeling that this would not be the last time they would meet. Her chest tightened and Hermione took a moment to remind herself that she could trust no one, especially not a man who bore the mark of the Dark Lord.

"I will not allow you to ensnare me, Severus Snape. I will never surrender to your roguish charms." Were her last words before she turned away from the mirror and entered her bath.


	5. Chapter 4: A Sleight of Hand

**Disclaimer:** It's all in my head. I own nothing just enjoy expanding on it.

 **Note:** This is just an administrative chapter to move things along. I hope to resume to the sexual tension and naughty chapters as of chapter 5. Severus gets what he wants here and I'm enjoying writing him as kind of a bastard. A driven bastard. ;-)

* * *

 **Chapter 4: A Sleight of Hand**

* * *

 _Death Eater Controlled East London, Victoria Park, Early February 2006_

It was Sunday, exactly one week had passed since the raid on the Kit Kat club, one week since Severus had met Agent Lazarus. Nothing he did could get her out of his mind. Sure, he had gone about his normal business of running Voldemort's school. He had researched the cryptic final Horcrux that Tom Riddle had mentioned in the pensive, but she still managed to creep into his mind. She was filling it even now as he made his way through Victoria Park.

The morning air was bone chillingly cold, the sky was clear and the sun was shining, accentuating the ice that had formed on the trees in the night. Severus pulled his cloak tighter around him as he looked around the park in search of a bench to seat himself. He would have to debrief Albus on the most recent events, meaning his interpretation of what he found in the pensive. He sneered at this thought, finding a clean bench and sitting down. Then Severus opened his paper, as he did every Sunday morning, and commenced to read the horrid reporting therein. Reaching into his pocket he crinkled up some dried bread and dropped it on the park bench, waiting for the hideous birds to come. He shivered at the thought of how diseased birds were as he settled in and waited.

An egotistical little smirk danced across his lips at how quickly the pigeon landed next to him. Usually he had to wait a long while before Albus would grace him with his presence. It was as if the old coot had been waiting in some tree, shivering in his little pigeon feathers waiting for Severus to make his way to the park.

Albus pigeon landed near Severus and made a half-hearted peck at some of the crumbs there, "So Severus, what have you found?" The bird's eyes blinked expectantly.

"Oh Albus, you'll have to do better than that." Severus cooed. "You'll have to do _much_ better than that."

The pigeon puffed its feathers in an irritated fashion, Albus hated to play these games with him, hated to get his hands messy with the day-to-day work.

Severus continued, "You lead me into a booby-trapped mind, you knew was dangerous but declined to tell me." He paused for a bit of dramatic emphasis, "So now, you are going to give me some information."

Albus craned his little bird neck to the side inquisitively, "So ask."

"Lazarus. Tell me more about her. How do I contact her?" He needed her, had to feed his addiction before it consumed him whole.

"Well that would be, uh, nearly impossible Severus." Albus pigeon began to prune a feather or two.

"And why is _that_?" Severus lifted an eyebrow as he pretended to read the paper.

"Because she's here." The pigeon managed to get out before another, more brightly colored one landed somewhat comically next to him.

"Oh for the love of Merlin." Severus grumbled as he irritatingly flicked the paper at this new intrusion. He hadn't expected she would be gracing him in bird form.

The colorful pigeon, with the beautiful amber eyes looked at both of them, "Did I miss anything?"

"No my dear." Albus pigeon began, "Severus was just about to enlighten us on what he found in the pensive."

Severus scowled at the pigeons as he turned a page, annoyed by their presence and by Albus' manipulation of the situation. "Well well if it isn't Agent Lazarus. This form suits you."

Lazarus pigeon puffed her feathers and pecked at a piece of stale bread. Severus continued, "Yes well, after avoiding the several booby-traps, nearly losing my sanity and observing my dark master in some rather compromising positions that have probably scared me for line," he let that sink in for a moment, "I did find something _yes_."

"And?" both birds said in unison.

"Well," The dark wizard began, drawing it out as long and as deeply as he could. He took a distinct pleasure in holding this little morsel of information over their heads. "Tom and Atticus mentioned of course those...that we already know." He watched the birds out of the corner of his eye, their blood pressures rising, their feathers puffing.

"Then there were two others." He added, taking in their excitement.

The pigeons cooed now fluttering closer to him on the bench.

The Potions Master continued, "They are Muggle items. In all of his wisdom the Dark Lord did consider the possibility that a wizard or witch might seek to snuff him out."

Severus noticed that Lazarus pigeon was getting particularly perturbed. He crinkled up more stale bread in his hand and put it in front of her in the most demeaning way he could, admiring her spirit as she shot him a death look. "One is the English Muggle Queen's Crown." He licked his finger and turned another page of his paper.

The pigeons looked at each other curiously, then turned their attention back to Seveurs. "And the final one?" Albus pigeon implored.

"Ahh." Severus began, " _That_ one is a bit more complicated."

"So you don't know then?" Lazarus pigeon spoke up, her glaring little pigeon eyes drilling holes through him.

"It's not that I don't know. It's just more complicated than I had expected." Severus said, pushing her buttons a bit further.

"So spit it out Severus." Albus said, almost screeching his little pigeon voice.

"Well it's a painting of Muggle origins. It depicts the mythical hero Achilles." Severu paused only briefly, "But more than that I don't know."

"Fuck." Was the only word he heard escape Lazarus' beak.

There was a long pause as everybody calmed their minds, trying their best to think of how to move forward. If he had to be honest with himself, Severus wasn't sure what to do or even how to start. Muggle art wasn't something he knew a lot about, mythical figures in Muggle history even less. Luckily it wasn't his to decide, he would just read his paper until the birds figured it out.

It was Albus who eventually spoke up, "It seems that we need to alter our planning a bit." Both Severus and Lazarus were all ears, "The crown jewels happen to be in Voldemort's part of the city, and I don't think they are going anywhere soon." The pigeon paced slightly, "Agent Lazarus is knowledgeable about Muggle things and could help you in your research of the final Horcrux."

Severus suppressed a smirk, ' _No shit she knows about Muggle things.'_

Albus continued, "It seems to me like you will have to work together to crack this mystery. Your knowledge of the Dark Lord, Severus and Agent Lazarus' knowledge of Muggles will be . . . complimentary."

Lazarus was clearly uncomfortable, her little feather fluffs coming loose.

"Not to mention that Severus is very valuable in the East. We will need to have somebody else act as the 'tip of the spear' so to say." He stopped to make sure his agents were following him.

"Stop me if I'm wrong Severus, but your position as Headmaster would still allow you to take on a doctoral student in Potions.? It would allow you to keep Lazarus close to you, whilst working together to find the final piece of the puzzle. It would not be odd if you spent an inordinate amount of time together."

Severus looked over at the pigeons and chuckled, "Do you know what you are even asking Albus?"

There was no response.

"No? Well then allow me to enlighten you both." Severus began, not able to keep the condescension out of his voice. "We in the East take a very _archaic_ approach to teaching. Meaning that a professor doesn't simply teach you a subject, but teaches you…" he paused for emphasis, "...oh how do I put this delicately? They teach you everything about life. Much like our mutual friend Crankshaw taught _his_ students."

It was admittedly difficult to keep the blood from flowing to his most intimate parts. The thought of having Lazarus underneath his sphere of influence, keeping her in his domaine was alluring. He was a fox on the hunt, doing his best to obtain his prize. Severus grinned at the glaring Lazarus pigeon, reaching out a hand and scratching her on her little feathery head. She knew what he meant, oh she knew and she didn't like it.

Severus continued, "And if you think it's easy for me to just alter paperwork so close to the beginning of term, then you must hold me for a god."

The old pigeon spoke up quickly, knowing his younger agent well, "I'm sure that Agent Lazarus will do everything necessary to gain the proper information and to see this mission through to the end."

Unhappy but driven by the realization that they might be able to crack the puzzle Lazarus spoke up, "So you're telling me," she turned to the dark wizard, "that you can't make an exception at the school you are the Headmaster of? That you can't alter the paperwork slightly, manipulate the administrators, perhaps just use a sleight of hand to get me in as your apprentice?"

' _Checkmate.'_ Severus smiled to himself.

Their eyes met and Severus knew he and Lazarus were sizing one another up, taking the measure of one another. They weren't just entering into a student-teacher relationship, they were entering into a partnership on which both of their lives could ultimately depend. It would be deeper than a friendship, more intimate than a love affair. It would be a struggle to defeat the most dangerous and destructive wizard to walk the planet. It would change them, alter them, perhaps even scar them.

Severus decided to push her, "You do realize Lazarus, that we will be watched every moment of the day. The Dark Lord's 'Minders' keep an eye on the school and every student in it. Not to mention a foreign student. You won't have time to breath, except in my private chambers of course."

Lazarus' eyes narrowed and her breast heaved at his innuendo, "I am aware of the _sacrifices_ needed to attain a successful result on this mission."

"That being?" Severus asked, his eyebrow raised.

"To hunt down and destroy both Horcruxes." She said plainly.

"You do realize that Mr. Potter is most likely one himself. He exhibits all of the symptoms of a living Horcrux." Severus let that line settle a moment, knowing it was an unpopular view. Implying that the Boy Who Lived might need to ultimately die.

Albus pigeon finally spoke, "I will handle that Severus. Just as you will handle these new developments together with Agent Lazarus."

Severus turned to Lazarus staring her dead in the eye, "Congratulations Lazarus, you've just made a deal with the devil."

"I'll live." She answered, not missing a beat.

"I'll need the paperwork, and your backstory in two day's time. Albus knows the drop point. I'll be at the border crossing to pick you up on the 15th of February, the day we register you in person. Make the story good, and you had better know it well." Severus took a beat, "I don't take putting my life on the line lightly."

Severus got to his feet, folded his paper and made his way out of the park unable to wipe the self satisfied grin off his face. Of course he was a self-serving, egotistical prick for doing everything in his power to have her close to him. He was a bastard for wanting to pounce on her before anybody else did. These revelations were, of course, nothing new to Severus Snape.

His own personal desires aside, Severus did believe that if anybody had a chance of finding and destroying the remaining Horcruxes under extreme pressure, it was Hermione Granger. His respect for her abilities had manifested into a desire that he could not control. If he had to be honest with himself, he didn't want to control them. If all it was going to take was a sleight of hand and a death to make the registration day headcounts fit, then Severus was more than willing to take action. The school registration numbers were very strict, the slots already filled. Now he just needed to make one unfortunate person disappear.

' _That shouldn't be too difficult._ ' Severus mused, having made this deal with the devil many times before.


End file.
